Should You Be Taking Booking Deposits for Wedding Photography?

The answer is YES.

Let me tell you why..

When I first got into lifestyle photography as a side hustle back in 2020, I was doing it mostly for fun and some extra cash. At that point, I wasn’t running an organized business and honestly had no idea what went into building a sustainable photography career. Bare with me here, I promise this story will make sense.

The Mistake I Made With Wedding Photography Booking Deposits

My first year of photography was wild. I was booking constantly without any real understanding of what my overhead expenses would eventually look like. I booked weddings for as low as $500 and slowly worked my way up to $1600, even for weddings I was booking two to three years in advance. Looking back, that alone was a huge lesson. But the biggest mistake I made was not taking a wedding photography booking deposit, or more accurately, a retainer, for most of those bookings.

There’s one wedding I still remember clearly. It was a Saturday in September, one of the most in-demand dates of the year. We chatted, put the date in my calendar, and then barely spoke for almost a year. During that time, I turned down multiple inquiries for that same date because I believed it was already booked. A couple of months before the wedding, I reached out to confirm addresses and timelines. Instead, I received a message saying they were no longer having a wedding and no longer needed a photographer.

There was nothing I could do. They had no obligation to me at all. I hadn’t sent an agreement to sign, I hadn’t required a retainer to secure the date, and I hadn’t communicated clearly or consistently. This wasn’t the clients’ fault, it was mine. And because I wasn’t taking a wedding photography booking deposit, I lost out on other real opportunities that could have filled that date.

As painful as it was, that experience taught me something I’ll never regret learning. I started noticing a pattern of last-minute cancellations, ghosting, and no-shows. That’s when it clicked. If I wanted my photography business to actually thrive, something had to change.

How I Turned a Mistake Into a System That Works

During the off-season in the winter months in Canada, I finally sat down and learned how to properly use HoneyBook, a CRM I had already been paying for but barely touched. I built agreements for both regular sessions and weddings, created invoices that required a 30 percent retainer to secure a date, and set up scheduler links so clients could book without endless back-and-forth messages.

When busy season came back around, everything changed. Every single session showed up. Every wedding date stayed locked in. The difference was simple. Clients had invested money when booking. Taking a wedding photography booking deposit immediately set expectations and boundaries. People are far less likely to ghost, cancel last minute, or no-show when they’ve committed financially.

And honestly, if someone didn’t want to move forward because they didn’t want to pay a retainer, that was okay with me. That usually meant they weren’t the right fit anyway. Those spots always ended up going to clients who were genuinely excited to work together and respected my time and business. That’s my ideal client.

Over the years, I’ve made a lot of pivots in my photography business, but this was one of the biggest and most impactful. Taking booking deposits allowed me to quit my other job, go full time, and build a sustainable business that actually supported my life.

So if you’re wondering whether you should be taking a wedding photography booking deposit, my answer is always yes. It doesn’t matter if it’s $50, 30 percent, or 50 percent. What matters is that your client is investing something to secure their date. When they do, they’re serious. And that small shift can completely change the way your photography business runs.

Take Control of Your Bookings

I learned a lot the hard way, and every missed opportunity became a lesson in running a better wedding photography business. Today, with so many resources and courses available online, it’s easier than ever to educate yourself and plan confidently. The key is showing up prepared, informed, and intentional so every booking becomes a step toward a thriving, fulfilling photography career.